Page 7 of The Devil's Reward
“If that means helping you find a place to stay, then I’ll do that. If it’s finding someone for you to talk to, I’ll do that too. A job, medicine, a support system, I can show it all to you. The choice to accept that help is yours, though. You have to be the one to accept my help, and if you don’t want it, and want to navigate it all on your own, then I’ll happily step back and let you. But I’ll also still be here if you change your mind.”
I watch him, biting my lip as I finally stop talking. Crap. I hadn’t meant to say that much, and now my face is heating in embarrassment.
Instead of chastising me, or making fun of me, he just nods. “That’s why I’ll let you help me. If you were a bitch that only wanted to get me out of here, I’d probably already be out the door, trying to figure out this shit on my own. So, I’ll take the help in getting my resume in order, and then if you can help me get in touch with the security company, I’d appreciate it.”
I let my lips widen into a full smile. “That works for me.”
For the next hour, we work together and I type up his resume. After getting his final approval, I head to my office to call the number Lena gave me. She sent me an email as well, but I prefer to talk to someone about something like this. Hopefully, I’ll end the call with an interview for Crypt.
I check on Macy and see she’s happily coloring away, and then I make the call. I wait anxiously as it rings, my nerves jumping. Finally, someone answers. “Devil’s Security,” the deep masculine voice on the other end says briskly.
“Good morning,” I say in what I hope is a calm tone. “My name is Quinn Holt and I’m a social worker at the VA clinic. I was given your business name from Lena Breck at the VA hospital as someone who was interested in interviewing Vets for potential positions. Is this still the case?”
“Damn, that was fast,” he mutters. “And yes, we are. Who have you got for me? I have to tell you, I thought it would be longer before we’d get a call.”
“Oh, ah, well, I guess it just worked out,” I say awkwardly. “Could I send you over his resume and then you can contact him at your convenience?”
He rattles off an email address and then adds, “Send it along to that email now and I’ll have a look at it while you’re on the phone. If I think he’s what we’re looking for, I can interview him this afternoon if he’s available.”
My mouth drops open in shock, and I’m glad he can’t see me. I quickly get myself back under control and email it over to him. “He’s former Special Forces,” I tell him as I hear him clicking away. “He specialized in intelligence gathering and has experience working with a larger team, if that helps.” Shit, I really need to stop talking. It’s not like he can’t read the damn thing himself.
He hums a bit, and I swallow softly as the sound vibrates through the phone. I have no idea why that noise affects me the way it does, but it skates along my nerves, and makes me hyper aware of the man on the other end of the line. I briefly wonder what he looks like before he pulls me out of my thoughts by saying, “I’d like to interview him. He’s got some damn good skills that I could use. How long has he been out?”
“A week.”
“Damn, that was fast. Glad that he got into you, then.”
“I work at a private clinic instead of the hospital, so the clients they send here aren’t in need of medical care and I can help them quicker.”
“Sounds like he landed in the right place. Let him know to stop by today before four and I’ll talk to him. Won’t promise anything, but his skills sound pretty damn great.”
“Thank you very much, Mr.…”
He chuckles, and the sound makes my belly flip in response. It’s soft and smooth, like melted chocolate. “Just Shadow, Ms. Holt. We’re not big on formality around here.”
Huh, that’s an odd name, but I guess with a client with a name like Crypt, I shouldn’t be too surprised. “Alright, well, thank you very much, Shadow. I’ll let him know, and please let me know if you have any questions or problems.”
“Will do, Ms. Holt.” Then he gives me the address and hangs up. I do a quick fist pump, dash past a confused Macy, and hurry to tell my client the good news.
FIVE
SHADOW
It’s a small world, but in this case, it looks like it’s going to work in my favor.
“You already have someone coming in?” Viper asks incredulously. His eyes are wide with shock, and I know the feeling. Hell, I’m shocked myself.
“He’s former Forces, and he’s got an extensive background in surveillance and intelligence gathering,” I explain. “Both are skills we wanted, and he got out a week ago, according to the social worker.”
“And the social worker, she give her name?”
“Quinn Holt,” I respond after I check the notepad. The sweet, and almost shy, voice on the other end caught my attention, but I don’t have time for women, even if they do sound as sweet as that one. “She works at the private VA clinic, not the hospital. Said she got the name from a Lena Breck.”
He nods. “That’s my contact at the hospital. She must have sent it out to everyone, whether at the hospital or the clinic. This Quinn Holt give any history on him other than his skills?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t ask. They won’t give that information, anyway. I already sent his name off to Cryos to make sure we’re not getting someone that’s all about the glory.”
Viper nods. “Let me know what he says. You want me to be in here for the interview?”
